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Be Kind: Long Island man collects 900+ toys for Toys for Tots

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Saturday, December 5, 2020

Be Kind: Man collects 900+ toys for Toys for Tots

A man on Long Island has made it his mission every Christmas to collect as many toys as possible for Toys for Tots.

MERRICK, Long Island (WABC) -- A man on Long Island has made it his mission every Christmas to collect as many toys as possible for Toys for Tots.

Merrick resident Joe Gallart has done this for the four years.

So far this year, he's collected more than 930 toys and they are all organized inside his garage.

This Long Island teen has spent the past 10 years collecting toys for children in hospitals after she spent the night in the hospital on Christmas herself. See how Emily Meyer's been able to create holiday magic for kids across Long Island with 'Emily's Awesome Toy Drive'.

Gallart began collecting toys in 2016 and brought them to a car rally in Nassau County.

That first year he brought 21 toys in his car.

Then he began reaching out to friends and family all over the country.

Last year, he collected more than 530 toys.

"Every year it has gotten bigger -- someone just made a Facebook post this morning that I need an extra warehouse," Gallart said.

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